Christmas Angel
by the ramblin rose
Summary: Carol/Andrea, AU. Oneshot. It was their first Christmas together, but they hoped for many more.


**AN: This is in response to an anon prompt on Tumblr that wanted romantic Carol/Andrea decorating Christmas cookies together. I don't think I've ever done Carol/Andrea before as a romantic coupling, but I'm not sure why I haven't.**

**I own nothing from the Walking Dead. **

**This was very enjoyable to write, so I hope you enjoy reading the fluffies! **

**Let me know what you think! **

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Carol smiled to herself as she heard the water in the bathroom stop. She heard the curtain rake across the shower bar. She heard the snatches of humming. It was a Christmas carol. It started out as "Jingle Bells" and somehow morphed into "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as the song continued.

The simple sound of happy humming was enough to make Carol's whole body relax and tingle with happiness.

Her life couldn't be more different from what she'd known before—and she was thankful for that each and every time she woke up next to the woman that she was almost certain was an angel placed on Earth for her, specifically.

Carol had once believed she was straight. She'd been married to a man—a man who treated her worse than most people treated their greatest enemies.

Now she realized that she was nowhere near as straight as she'd believed herself to be, and all the cruelty that she'd suffered at Ed's hands had at least brought her some good because it had intensified her appreciation for Andrea's tenderness.

Carol slipped her hand into her oven mitt and opened the oven. The oven door squeaked open with a word of warning that it was being opened, and Carol heard Andrea squeak from the bedroom in response. She pulled the baking sheet from the oven and put it on the eye of the stove to cool.

"Oh my God!" Andrea declared loudly. "Don't start without me!"

Carol laughed to herself.

"They have to cool!" She called out. "Don't worry—I wouldn't dare start without you."

In the meantime, Carol walked around and lit the few holiday scented candles they'd collected. She switched on the lights to their Christmas tree. She turned on the Christmas station and lowered the volume so that it was just loud enough to contribute to the ambiance, but not loud enough to detract from any conversation they might have.

As a teacher on a well-deserved winter beak, she had time, these days, to prepare these things. She had time to create a winter wonderland and a veritable Christmas fairytale for their enjoyment. And she liked doing it because Andrea—a lawyer who had very little time for creating such pleasures—was so appreciative of each and every thing that Carol did for her.

The last thing Carol did, when she returned to the kitchen, was switch on the coffee pot to begin brewing the coffee that would pair so nicely with the cookies.

She pretended that she didn't hear Andrea—very likely creeping up on the balls of her feet with a smile that Carol could see when she closed her eyes—as she approached her from behind. She stayed still and closed her eyes, smiling to herself as the blonde's arms encircled her waist and her chin rested on Carol's shoulder.

Once, she would have hated being approached from behind. It would mean that Ed would easily overtake her. It would mean that he could do unspeakable physical harm to her before she even had a chance to try to protect herself.

Now it made her feel happy because Andrea's quiet approach from behind always brought a warm hug. Tenderly, the blonde pressed her lips to crook of Carol's neck and Carol shivered—partly with pleasure and partly with anticipation.

But Andrea wasn't proposing anything—not for the moment. They had other plans for the evening and anything beyond that would have to wait until they were ready to settle down under thick blankets, with the fan on high, and pretend it was colder in Georgia than it really was and they had only each other to keep them warm.

There would be plenty to make the evening nice, and Carol smiled to herself imagining it.

"I love you," Andrea whispered, her mouth close against Carol's ear. Carol shivered and turned to face the blonde.

Carol tucked a strand of curly hair behind Andrea's ear. The ends of her hair were damp where she'd failed at keeping them dry during her shower. She looked soft and welcoming in her Christmas pajamas—an early gift from Carol. Carol stole a kiss from her girlfriend—her partner—they hadn't decided what suited them and it didn't really matter what they called each other.

Her love. Her angel.

"I love you," Carol breathed out.

Andrea beamed at the words and wrapped her arms around Carol again, resting her hands at Carol's waist. Carol copied the gesture—holding purposefully to Andrea's hips. She massaged the skin under her fingertips and Andrea laughed quietly.

"Are you squeezing my fat?" Andrea asked, her voice low like they might be interrupted.

"Just touching you," Carol said. "Thinking—how soft you are."

"Fat," Andrea said. "Carol—that's fat."

"No," Carol said, shaking her head. She allowed Andrea her insecurities. Carol, after all, had plenty of them and Andrea was infinitely patient with her. "You know that's not what I meant. You're beautiful. Perfect."

Andrea smiled, perhaps, even in spite of herself.

"I hope that's decaf," she said.

"You thought I'd forget that you have a strict no caffeine rule after five?" Carol asked with a laugh.

"Your cookies smell delicious," Andrea said.

Carol smirked at her and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Is that a euphemism?" Carol asked.

Andrea smiled and kissed her, nipping her lip playfully as she pulled away.

"If you want it to be," Andrea said. Now it was her turn to teasingly wag her eyebrows at Carol and to tighten the hold she had on her, rocking Carol forward so that their hips bumped each other. "Either way—I can't wait to eat them tonight."

Carol felt her cheeks run warm when Andrea winked at her. Laughing at her own joke, Andrea released Carol and took in the spread that Carol had laid out over one section of the counter.

"So, what is all this?"

"These are icing bags," Carol said. Each one is a different color. You can see it at the tip. Hold on—let me transfer these over."

Carol touched the cookies. She was satisfied they were cool enough for their purposes. She transferred them to a platter that was large enough to keep them from touching, and then she put the two small plates out, side by side, that they'd use to decorate them. Andrea practically leaned over her shoulder in excitement.

"Reindeer," Andrea said. "Christmas trees. Snowmen."

"Christmas ornaments," Carol supplied. "And angels." She sighed happily, content that it had all come together and that Andrea looked so excited by a night of decorating cookies together instead of horrified that Carol had suggested a whole month of nightly Christmas practices to make into their long-term future Christmas traditions. "Well—go ahead. What do you want to do first?"

Andrea smiled.

"I want a tree," Andrea said.

"Take one," Carol said. "Whichever you want."

Andrea selected a tree, transferred it to her plate, and then reached for the baggie that clearly contained green icing.

"Do I just—squeeze it?" Andrea asked.

Carol wrapped her hands around Andrea's soft hands to guide them. She leaned her chin against Andrea's shoulder.

"Hold it like this. Gently. Squeeze it here…easy. Not too hard." Andrea giggled as she allowed Carol to help her direct the icing. "You'll get it. You just need a little practice."

Andrea hummed.

"This sounds like something else," she offered.

"Except the tables have turned," Carol responded. "I have become the teacher." She wiped some stray icing from the cookie's plate with her finger and offered it to Andrea. Andrea sucked it off her finger.

"Mmmm—sweet," Andrea said. Carol sucked the bit of stray icing off her finger that Andrea had left behind.

"It's not bad icing," Carol agreed. "I made it mostly with powdered sugar."

"I wasn't talking about the icing," Andrea said with a grin.

Carol laughed to herself and helped herself to a cookie for decorating.

It was nice to simply stand in the kitchen, side by side, decorating cookies with the warmth of a happy holiday wrapped gently around the both of them. It was their first Christmas together—their first of many, Carol hoped. And it was the greatest Christmas, so far, that Carol could remember.

Carol smiled to herself when she realized that the background to the daydreams she indulged in while she worked was the sound of Andrea humming to herself.

"You love Christmas music," she mused.

Andrea laughed to herself.

"And how lucky am I?" Andrea asked, putting down the icing bag and standing back to admire her cookie for a moment. She abandoned it only to wrap her arms around Carol once more and to squeeze her gently. Carol didn't even complain that the movement destroyed the line she was trying to create on her cookie. Knowing how the asymmetry got there only made it that much more precious to her. Andrea pressed her lips to Carol's cheek and Carol closed her eyes to enjoy the affection. "Not everyone can say they have their very own Christmas Carol."

Carol laughed to herself. She abandoned her own cookie decorating long enough to turn her body and reach out to Andrea. She brought their lips together for a proper kiss, and she enjoyed it when Andrea backed her into the counter to deepen the kiss and prolong it just a little more.

"And not everyone can say they have their own Christmas angel," Carol offered. "But I can."


End file.
